Pahanin

A/N: I'm alive. So here's a chapter.

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"Now it is done, if I speak again, I am not Kabr"

Kabr's whispers echoed deep within the chambers of the vault. Sorrow and grief etched his face, but embers of resolute defiance lingered in his eyes. 

The radiolaria in his veins ate away at his humanity, altering the very structure of his existence. Facing his end, Kabr channelled the remaining embers of his light, but as the radiolaria mixed in his blood, the line between man and machine blurred. 

His light served as the binding agent and he as the fuel- Combining his will with the essence of the Vex, Kabr's figure shook and crumbled. 

As the Legionless heaved his last breaths, a relic emerged- The Aegis.

The Legacy of the indominable will of a Titan combined with the ever-evolving existence of the Vex that had given birth to the impenetrable and unstoppable Aegis.

A shield that served as a beacon against the currents of time itself. Any who wielded it could pierce through the very heart of the Vex, shatter their pocket dimensions and rend their immortal minds. 

Kabr had used his soul as the furnace to forge the answer to the Vault, perhaps the answer to the Vex themselves. 

The forsaken, timeless vault bore witness to his sacrifice, perhaps one that would be forgotten- buried in the annals of history....Or Would it?

There was another, watching it all from within an unironed wrinkle of time. His existence was incomplete- defying the laws of the vault. Yet once Templar departed, he revealed himself.

Pahanin had miraculously survived.

When Templar's attempt to erase him fell short, Pahanin found himself in limbo. In the depths of the vault, he existed only as an illusory observer, trapped within time and unable to lift a single finger. 

Watching Kabr heave his last breath, Pahanin felt a deep, sorrowful ache, his heart heavy with grief

Days passed as Pahanin realized his hapless state. Here, he was merely a reflection of his former self. The mere existence of the Templar's well suppressed his powers.

Fear and dread filled his chest. Perhaps the Templar would come back to finish the job.

Perhaps the Vex would eventually realize he was there....Perhaps they wouldn't and he would remain here for all eternity.

Several debilitating thoughts ran through his mind.

As a last resort, Pahanin risked escape. Relying on his fractured existence he slowly began his ascent from the wretched vault.

But time flowed differently around him, each second felt like an eternity. Days, weeks, months- time passed him by as he climbed. 

Rays of light shimmered before his eyes as he emerged from the Vault. The setting sun cast a melancholic hue across the empty sky. 

'Was this freedom?'

Pahanin tumbled forwards, panting heavily. Leaving the vault had somehow freed him from his odd constraints, but he felt hollow.

A grim premonition clung to him—he felt as if his existence would simply wither away...as if the Templar was still watching.

The distant hum of Vex machinery caused his heart to sink....He was still within their territory. He couldn't stay here any longer, he had to move.

That's right..... he had to make it back to the city, back to his hideout.

Pahanin triggered his comms, as thousands of messages flooded the his channels....His eyes widened in disbelief.

The City was in complete turmoil!

What had happened? How long had he been gone? 

But most of all, one message thread caught his eye.....

*Consensus Tribunal: Nightstalker facing trial*

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[ A few weeks earlier, Tower]

Ikorra watched from her spire as guardians gathered in the courtyard, answering the Vanguard war summons broadcast to every city channel worldwide, 

Thousands of Jumpships flocked the horizon, forming the true armada of the city. Or rather, it was the guardians themselves- elite guerrilla fighters capable of inflicting devastating damage at short notice.

Lurking behind the fleet was a gargantuan interstellar colony ship. Although commissioned by Dead Orbit to support their agenda, it now served as an orbital command centre and mobile armoury for the Vanguard.

Ikorra's breath stiffened, a strange unease disturbing her mind. Her gaze lingered on the Guardians, their fate rested on her shoulders. An expectation she wouldn't betray....No she wouldn't allow herself to.

Turning away, she descended the steps of her spire and paced towards the war room.

Ikorra stepped inside, Zavala and Cayde were already present..

As they shared a glance, the air grew with tension. 

For a mere instant, the Vanguard seemed to acknowledge the bleak reality of humanity's future, one that rested entirely on their shoulders. 

Zavala greeted her with a nod, his eyes were still glued to the scout feed.

"What did we find?", Ikorra sat across the two, a new screen lit up as it hovered towards her.

Cayde leaned back in his chair, his brows furrowed.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Then search again. Reorient the scouts closer." Ikorra retorted sharply.

Cayde's face stiffened, "You don't get it. They're not there."

He leaned towards the table and snapped his fingers, "Gone, no signs, just like that. Packed up and ditched the place."

"No records of any ships leaving the Lunar orbit." Zavala chimed in, "Do they know we're watching?"

"It's either that, or they dug a hole and buried themselves inside." Cayde got to his feet, "Either way, the scouts won't find anything anytime soon. If there's any hope for an attack, we'll be the ones initiating."

"Perhaps that's what they want." Ikorra scowled, falling into deep thought.

Zavala grit his teeth, "We can't allow them to control the tide of the battle."

"So what do we do big blue? Rush in there blow shit up and hope they come running?" Cayde chuckled. 

Suddenly, a shrewd idea bloomed in the warlock's mind.

"I guess we will." Ikorra answered.

"Wait...really?" Cayde asked, flummoxed.

"Why so shocked? Don't you always say how gung-ho the hunters are?" Ikorra smiled.

"Yeah but- shot in the dark here, isn't that the reason we have plans and rules for this kinda stuff?" Cayde sceptically raised a brow.

"We do. This time, the enemy's expecting an army they can ambush. If we have skirmishes, we can thin down their numbers easily."

Zavala contemplated, considering Ikorra's plan, he was sure that it would work. Yet, who would take charge? A team capable of instant skirmishing and stealthy retreating was entirely unheard of.

....Unless.

"You want to use the Nightstalkers?" Zavala voiced his guess.

Ikorra nodded, a silence gripped the room. Tackling the Hive collectively was one thing, forcing a single team to skirmish alone was another.

There were far too many cases of guardian's losing their sanity with prolonged exposure to Hive magic.

Analysing the plan, Zavala could only outline one approach "It's not safe. We'll need to reinforce them with other teams." 

But Ikorra immediately shot it down, "The Nightstalkers excel at stealth, anyone tagging along will only slow them down."

"Hey, personally I'd agree, but I'm not gonna send one team against a Hive army. Could you imagine the loot I'd have to fork out?" Cayde shook his head.

"They'll be safe. Only a few skirmishes before we engage the Hive. We'll use Toland to sniff out any Hive influence and pull them out before its too late. Asher Mir would monitor them from Orbit." Ikorra proposed her final plan.

Though Zavala and Cayde were apprehensive, they couldn't deny, it was the perfect plan. One that could bring the Hive to their knees.

With the planning finalized, the Vanguard signalled for the first few fleets to launch towards Lunar orbit. 

An extensive joint launch would've turned heads with their energy signatures, yet owing to the Jumpship's versatility, fireteams could launch in succession and not trigger any major alarms.

Soon the Tower only housed its wall bearers-oath sworn guardians duty bound to protect the last city. Near the Cosmodrome, the Sunbreakers formed a small barricade line to help defend the city in the absence of its leaders.

Now, the fate of humanity truly rested upon the lightbearers enroute to the moon.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed....peer pressured into releasing chaps...but at least its here!